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Planning a wedding is a lot of hard work.  Often, a tremendous amount of time is placed on finding the right vendors, who are available on your date, and at the right price (hey, even millionaires have a budget!).  The chosen locations for getting ready, the ceremony, and reception will often dictate the timeline for the day.  But there is one option that couples often don’t give enough consideration and it can have a powerful impact on the timing and fun of the wedding day: the First Look.

Even if you aren’t familiar with the phrase, you probably already know what it is.  A First Look is where it is arranged for the bride & groom to see one another and have a special moment together before the ceremony.  Typically, your awesome photographer can help choose an ideal location (Photographers are cool! Touch their hair!). And the way it works is the bride or groom approaches the other from behind, and they face one another. Then they share a private moment together (the photographers and/or video are at a reasonable distance, but everyone else should be elsewhere).  After that, the couple can relax and have fun! They can make some beautiful bride and groom portraits and do some shots with their bridal party. They can even travel to other locations for fun & photos. That’s not the only advantage however.

Many couples want to be “traditional” and not see each other before the ceremony, and it’s fine to do that.  It’s always possible to shoot  solo portraits of the bride or groom and them with their respective parties prior to the ceremony.  The downside of the traditional route is nearly all of the portraits have to be taken after the ceremony and before the reception.  What sometimes happens is what we call “picture fatigue”.  It seems to wear down grooms before anyone else (No, I don’t know where the beer is, I’m just there to take pictures). But, most couples feel a pressure to get to the reception and not keep their guests waiting, even if they keep to their predetermined timeline, and so they don’t relax or enjoy themselves as much as they could.

Brides often say they want to be traditional and not see each other, because they want a photo of his expression when he sees her coming down the aisle. Even with a First Look, the groom still gets emotional when he sees his bride coming down the aisle. How can he not?  You get so many great photos with a First Look that you can only get with a First Look.  You get to embrace and talk and have fun! Doing it the traditional way is almost like seeing each other for the first time and acting like you just met (the bride and groom typically don’t get to talk or hug much at the start of the ceremony, although they do exchange warm looks usually).

The First Look can change the planning for the day because it allows more portraits to be done before the ceremony. It breaks up the photo-taking so it doesn’t have to be like one long after-ceremony photo-session. Couples find themselves more relaxed and having more fun on their wedding day. Not to mention, you get some kickass pics of seeing one another for the First Look.  If you really want to enjoy the day, you can do a First Look and then go do fun activities with your bridal party for however long you want before the ceremony. You can rent a trolley and hop all over town or go to a pub.  You could even start a soccer league for pets, if that’s your thing.  Whatever might be your definition of “good times”.  The time is yours… together.

Benefits of doing a First Look:

* You get to spend more time together on your wedding day as a couple.

* The family formals can be shot before the ceremony. Or you can shoot some before and some after.  It doesn’t have be one big photo session after the ceremony. ​

​* You don’t have to keep your guests waiting as long after the ceremony before the reception starts. Or you can keep them waiting and use this time for something exciting, instead of dividing the time between  just doing family formals and bride and groom portraits.

* The First Look gives you great pictures of the two of you sharing a real moment, generally in a specially-selected location.  Who doesn’t like touching moments in a great location?

* You are more relaxed after the First Look and enjoy your wedding day longer.

* After the First Look, you can travel around and do fun things with the whole wedding party without the pressure of having to get to the reception right away.

* Otherwise the bride and groom portraits are the last photos to be taken and sometimes the couple is tired and hungry and would rather just go to the reception, not giving their all for some of the most important pictures of their lives!

* You are more likely to become rich and famous (unconfirmed)!

* You are more likely to end up in our portfolio because the pictures rock (yeah, that’s confirmed)!

Ultimately, it’s your wedding and your decision.  You can choose to be traditional if you prefer to just be traditional. Lots of couples go that route.  Increasingly, however, couples are seeing the value in doing a First Look.  You get some awesome photos and extra time together.  But, it’s up to you.  Whatever you choose, please keep this in mind while you outline your day:

Don’t just plan your wedding day; plan on experiencing it!

You can see Morgan & Matt’s First Look and following bride and groom shots on our blog here.

You can see Whitney & Casey’s Fist Look and following bride and groom shots on our blog here.

To See or Not to See – First Looks are the Question!

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